Apparatus for dulling nylon and like fibers



R. F. STUEWER ETAL APPARATUS vFOR DULLING NYLON AND LIKE FIBERS Filed May 12. 1954 N El El;

7 Sheets-Sheet 1 7mm/r pnl, @Mv fm,

ATTORNEYS Aug. 4, 1959 R. F. sTUEwER ET AL 2,397,576

APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON' AND LIKE MBERS Filed May 12. 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 s R m N E V m ATTORNEYS Aug..4, 1959 R. F. swr-:WER ET AL 2,897,576

A APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON AND LIKE FIBERS Filed May 12, 1954 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 zg- Y INVENTORS ez'naZJ 2' 32a/enfer and jaagt/TAR 2mm?,

' BY )MM/'6215i ai@ MJ ATTORNEYS Aug. 4, 1959 R. F. sTul-:WER ET AL APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON AND LIKE FIBERS Filed May 12, 1954 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS ./ez'yzafd uewev and ATTORNEYS R. F. sTUEwER, ET AL 2,897,576

APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON' AND LIKE FIBERs Filed May 12. 1954 Aug. 4, 1959 69 I CH I 1 :2W M A ww 2 5 7 tu 5 W 3l. U 2 Il A M J o 7 O /M 6 5 J6 .5A .11 1 2 0 9 ao E A g M av a E l. lll |I.. 'HMI 4 J 5 2 7 8 O 7 9 J 3.,. 2 Y M 9 H :I7 7 7 F am, a4 |||Mn l 5 www bf2 A nn r il 9 nf Q1 ml| J.. Q [wm .A v 5 6 7 8 wm 2 a a o 89@ w m www.. UV 2 a ,J

INVENTORS ATTORNEYS 4, 1959 R. F. sruE-wER Erm. 2,897,576

- APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON AND LIKE FIBERs Filed may 12. 1954 'l sheets-sheet e UTP JJY STP NVENTORS ATTORNEYS Aug. 4, 1959 R. F. STUEWER ET AL APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON AND LIKE FIBERS Filed May l2. 1954 7 sheets-sheet 7 MAM I INVENTORS PZ'yz/oicf ueu/ew and figg/DA Daman l chr/JW,

ATTORNEYS 2,897,576 APPARATUS FOR DULLING NYLON AND LiKE FIBERS Reinhold F. Stuewer and Ralph W. Pitman, Scranton, Pa.,

assignors to Grove Silk Company, Scranton, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Appiication May 12, 11954, Serial No. 429,244 29 Claims. (Cl. 28-58) This invention relates to an art of performing dullng operations upon the surfaces of fibers such as nylon. The extruded and set synthetic iibers, whether in lament or cut staple form, frequently are too smooth and shining for satisfactory appearance and behavior. The present invention is concerned with a superficial treatment of such fibers to confer a desired dullness or matte appearance thereto, in economical quantity operations.

A feature of the invention is that of holding a yarn of such iibers under tension and for causing the iibers to be pressed in contact with particles of an indenting material.

Another feature is that of treating skeins of such yarn by holding them under tension along the fibers While kneading the yarn in the presence of particles of an indenting material.

A further feature is the provision of rollers for holding a vskein of such yarn under tension, and a further roller yieldingly supported to press against the yarn, with driving means to cause the skein to travel through the pressure zone and thereat be subjected to relative movements of the fibers with particles of an indenting material between them.

Other features reside in the parts and assemblages for effecting convenient loading and unloading of the machine and the performance thereby of a sequence -of operations whereby the fibers are converted from a Asmooth to a dulled surface condition, without entanglement.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown yon the accompanying drawings, by way of example, in which:

Fig. l is an upright elevation of the left side tof machine structure;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding front elevation with a part broken away;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding .elevation of the right Iside -.of machine structure;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section substantially :on line 4 4 of Fig. 2 with the door open and the upper skein-guiding roller and spray pipe in position for load- ;ing or unloading;

Fig. 5 is a correspond-ing horizontal section substan- :tially on line 5 5 of Fig. 2 with the door omitted and .the lower skein-guiding roller being swung to position for loading and unloading;

Fig. 6 is an upright sectional view on an enlarged fscale, substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a conventionalized perspective View, with fsupporting and certain other parts omitted for clarity, :showing the relationship and connection of parts;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view, with parts of a control rsystem in perspective, showing electrical connections.

Commercially available fibers contain synthetic materials such as polyamides, and are formed vby an extrusion operation from a mass, with subsequent setting fol- :lowed by a stretching operation which produces orientaltion within the individual laments. Sometimes the original mass contains a pigment to reduce the light transmission, and the material is then referred to as semidull or dull dependent on the relative amount of pigment present: but the surface of the material is still @fllt 2,897,576 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 Diameter Denier Filament Count of Filaments in Microns 40 monofilament 73 15- do 44 12 -do 39 40 13 filament 19 5 70 34 filament 20- 20 lunent 11.5

The main mechanical stnucture is supported by four pipe legs 20 connected by welding to angle irons 21 and a front iron 22 providing a horizontal stand upon which is mounted a housing having the side walls 24, 25 and the rear wall 26. 'I'he lower part of the front of this housing can be closed by a vdoor 28 on hinges 29 and having a latch 30 for securing it in closed position: it is preferred to have the lower edge 31 of the door bent inwardly so that liquid is deflected inside of the front iron 22 and delivered into the catch basin or sump S which is conventionally shown as a liquid-tight box mounted on wheels 33 so that it can be withdrawn through the fronty pair of legs 2t), its position being controlled by the front stiifener 34 which extends upwardly and engages the front iron 22.

At the top of the housing formed by walls 24, 25, 26 is mounted a control housing CH described in detail hereinafter. Also mounted at the top of the housing 24, 25, 26 are a pair of upwardly extending pipes 35 which are held rigidly in upright position by straps 36.

At the left side of the machine (Figs. 1 and 4) a horizontal supporting member 38 extends from the wall 26 and is connected to the upright member 39 to provide support for valve and pipe structures as described hereinafter. Angle braces 40 likewise serve to brace the pipe connections.

This frame structure supports the moving parts.

The walls 24, 25 have pivots '42 for supporting the lever arms 43 of a rocking sub-frame, these arms being outside of the walls 24, 25 and supporting the shaft 44 of a lower pressure roller 45 having a smooth rubber covering `46 (Fig. 6). The shaft 44 can move upward and downward in the elongated apertures 47 of the walls 24, 25. The shaft 44 has connected thereon the sprockets l48 which in turn are connected'by chains 49 with the sprockets 5t) carried .by the rear driving shaft 51 which passes through a speed reduction unit 52 which illustratively is of commercial type and has a shaft 53 extending rearwardly and supporting a pulley 54 for belt 55 which is driven by pulley 56 of the driving motor DM. This motor DM is supported by struts 57 connected to a cross-plate 58 rigid with the arms 43. It will be noted that the weight of the motor and its struts, the weight of the reduction unit, and the bearing parts act toV cause the sub-frame to rock clockwise in Figs.V 3 and 6, about the pivots 42, thus moving the lower pressure roller 45 upwardly: and that this pressure can be increased by the employment of a predetermined number of removable weights 59 which are held against shifting by the securing bolts 60.

The rocking sub-frame can be rocked in an opposite direction by the cams 65 (Fig. 6) which are fixed on a cam shaft 66 journalled on the support irons 21 and having (Fig. 3) a worm wheel 67 presented for meshing engagement with the worm 68 on a shaft 69, likewise carried by bearings on the irons 21 and on the posts 20, and having a crank handle 69a at the front of the machine.

The left-hand housing wall 24, in the illustrated form, supports a swivel bearing 70 (Figs. l and 5) for the end of a second -pressure roller 71 which likewise has a smooth surface jacket 72 of rubber. This bearing 70 permits the roller 71, 72 to rotate, and also permits it to be swung (Fig. out of the housing. When swung back into operating position, the right-hand end of the shaft 73 of the roller engages in a notch 74 formed in the wall 25 (Fig. 3): and its axis is then parallel to the axis ofthe lower pressure roller and the shaft 44 of the latter. In this working position, the weights on the subframe cause the arms 4.3 to rock clockwise so that the lower pressure roller 45 is in contact with the second pressure roller 71 or with yarn skeins passing thereover, the lower roller being thus yieldingly mounted.

Within each of the pipes 35 is provided a coil spring 80 (Fig. 6) which is mounted at its upper end on a threaded stem 81 extending through the end cap 82 of the pipe and adjustable in position by the nut 83. The lower end of the spring is connected to a drag link 84 which in turn is connected to a bearing 8S. The two bearings 85 support the shaft 86 of an upper tension roller 87 which may have a smooth metal surface. A bracket 88 extends forwardly from the housing wall 24 and has a sleeve member 89 lixed thereon for receiving (Fig. 4) the left-hand end of the shaft 86 when the parts are in position for loading, noting that the bracket 88 is located below the normal level of the shaft 86 (Fig. 6) when the latter is in its tensioned operating position.

The support 38 (Figs. land 4) carries three valves 90, 91, 92 which are connected to a manifold pipe 93 supported in part by the angle braces 4t) and leading to the distributing pipe 94 from which extends a horizontal spray pipe 95 located (Fig. 6) just inside of the rear wall 26 of the housing and having orifices directed relatively downward and forward for delivering a liquid spray 97 as described hereinafter. The distributing pipe 94 is also vconnected through a swivel joint 98 with a second spray pipe 99 which terminates short of the end wall 25 of the housing, so that it may be swung (Fig. 4) out of the housing during loading and unloading operations.

. Limit fingers 106 are provided for preventing disengagement of skeins during the loading operation, being illustratively supported by the back wall 26. Preferably the spray pipe 99 has upwardly and rearwardly directed openings so that a liquid spray 161 is delivered therefrom as described hereinafter.

The door 28 acts as a. pivoted sub-frame and has separators or guide lingers 105 fastened on its rear or inner wall (Figs. 4 and 6), and thus projecting between skeins of yarn when the door is in closed position.

The housing CH at the top of the structure has a tightlyclosing access door 110 at its front, and contains and protects electrical elements that determine a sequence of operations.

In Figs. 7 and 8 are shown conventionalized parts of the structure connected to illustrate the operation. A supply of satisfactorily pure water under pressure is delivered through a pipe 120 to the valve 90. A Soaping solution is prepared in a soap solution tank ST having a motor-driven pump STP connected for taking the solution from the tank and delivering it through a hose 121 to the valve 91. Correspondingly, an oil emulsion is prepared in an oil emulsion tank OT having a motordriven pump OTP which takes the oil emulsion from the tank and delivers it through the hose 122 to the valve 4 92. The valves 90, 91, 92 have respective solenoids WVS, SVS and OVS which upon energization serve to open the respective valves.

A timing motor TM is connected through speed reduction gearing 125 to drive a timing shaft 126 having thereon a number of cams MC, WC, SC, OC and RC cooperative with corresponding switches MS, WS, SS and OS which are normally open but are closed upon presentation of a cam notch, and a switch RS which has both normally open and normally closed contacts selectively clesed and opened by the notches and humps on cam RC. The master cam MC has illustratively a single peripherally short notch for operating the master switch MS. A manual switch S1 is connected in parallel to switch MS, so that when switch S1 is closed current liows from one mains conductor through switch S1 to the bus conductor 131 thereby energizing the timing motor TM so that it runs; the current then returning to the other mains conductor 132. As the timing motor rotates the shaft 126, the master cam MC operates switch MS and closes the circuit so that the llow from conductor 139 to bus conductor 131 is maintained regardless of the position of switch S1, which is then permitted to open.

In the illustrative showing, a 15 minute cycle of operation is established by the gearing 12S, so that the motor TM rotates the shaft 126 once in l5 minutes. At the beginning of rotation of the shaft 126 only the master switch MS is in operation, and therewith the reversing cam RC is holding the reversing switch RS with one circuit open and the other circuit closed through the conductors 133, 134 leading to the coils of the reversing relays RR'a, RRZ; so that current from the mains conductors 130, 132 flows through a relay RRa or RRb and by conductors to the driving motor DM, causing this motor to start and turn in one direction. The relays RRa and RRb are mechanically interlocked, as conventionalized by the element RRx, so that they cannot be simultaneously energized: such grouped relays are commercially available and no further detail of structure or operation need be given to the electrical expert. t an interval thereafter, determined by the spacing of the multiple cam depressions in reversing cam RC, the switch RS acts to open and close the circuits of the conductors 133, 134 so that the other reversing relay RRb or RRQ is actuated whereby the driving motor DM is then caused to run in a reversed direction for another period of time until the reverse cam RC acts again. Illustratively, this reversal occurs at each 30 seconds of time, with the motor DM thus turning for 30 seconds in one direction and then turning for 30 seconds in the opposite direction.

In the illustrative cycle, the water controlling 'cam WC has two depressions, the first of which procures operation of the water controlling switch WS after the shaft 126 has been rotated for a distance corresponding to 10 minutes and 30 seconds of time, closing the normally open contacts of this switch so that current liows from the bus 131through switch WS to conductor 135 and thus to the water valve solenoid WVS, opening the valve 90 so that water ilows from the conduit 120 through the manifold 93 and is sprayed from the pipes 9,5, 99 upon the skeins of yarn which are passing over the tension roller 85 and the uppermost pressure roller 71. lIn this illustrative cycle, the length of this tirs-t depression on cam WC effects the valve opening for'V l() seconds, and the water serves to moisten the thickened slurry present in the yarn. Thereupon, the depression leaves the switch WS, and the switch is opened again, Vwherewith the valve 90 is closed.

Immediately following the wetting Voperation just described, the soap solution cam SC presents its single depression to its switch SS, with closing of the normally open. contact thereof, so that current llows'from the bus conductor 131' through the switch SS and by conductor 136 to the solenoid SVS thereby opening the valve 91 so that the soap solution is permitted to tlow from the conduit 121 through valve 91 and manifold 93 and be sprayed from the pipes 95, 99. `In the illustrative cycle, this continues for seconds, and the cam SC then opens the switch SS `again, thereby effecting closure of the valve 91.

Thereafter, for 2 minutes, the master switch MS acts in conjunction with the reversing switch RS to cause the driving motor DM to continue running for 2 minutes, with the aforesaid periodic reversal being accomplished by the 'action of switch -RS upon the current supply to the relays RRa, RRb.

After 2 minutes of running with the soap solution in the fibers, the second depression on the water supply cam WC is presented to the switch WS which closes, and current again ows through conductor 135 to the water valve solenoid WVS, and valve 9i) opens again and remains open for 21/2 minutes, wherewith water flows from the conduit 120 to the manifold 93 and the spray pipes 95, 99; and the abrasive material is washed from the yarn fibers. During this time, the switches MS, RS are in control of the driving motor DM, so that the same continues to run with thte aforesaid periodic reversal.

Thereafter, the cam -OC which controls the deliveryv of oil emulsion presents its single short depression to the oil emulsion controlling switch OS, with closing of the contact therein so that current flows by conductor 137 to the solenoid OVS of valve 92, and the valve 92 opens so that ythe oil emulsion in conduit 122 ows through valve 92, manifold 93, and from the spray pipes 95, 99, wherewith Ithe fibers are oiled. After this has continued for l0 seconds, the cam OC causes the switch IOS to open again, and the valve 92 closes. Simultaneously, the single depression in the master cam MC cooperates with the master switch MS to open this switch, so that current no longer flows from mains conductor 130 and bus conductor 131 and the timing motor TM stops: simultaneously, supply of current to the various switches WS, SS, OS, and RS fails, so that accidental operation of the solenoids WVS, SVS, OVS cannot occur, and also the reversing relays RRa, RRb remain in open position so that the motor DM is brought to and held at a standstill.

It is preferred, for operation of a single machine from the soap solution and oil emulsion tanks ST, OT, to connect the respective pump motors to the conductors 136, 137, so that the pump motors STP, OTP are operated concurrently with the opening of the valves, nicety of control being eifected by the quick action of the valves 91, 92 in closing.

To permit quick stoppage of the system if desired, a manual switch S2 is provided in the conductor 130.

In operation of the machine, with the machine empty, an abrasive slurry is prepared and skeins of yarn dipped and worked therein for receiving charges. The upper tension roller is removed from its bearings 85, and the left-hand shaft end S6 is introduced into the holding bracket 89, with the door 28 open (Fig. 4). The spray pipe 99 is swung outwardly to the position of Fig. 4. The lower pressure roller 45 is moved downward by turning the crank 70 so that cam 65 (Fig. 6) engages the bottom of the sub-frame structure 43, 58 and lifts the same: thus relieveing pressure from the upper pressure roller 71. The upper pressure roller 71 is then swung outward about its bearing 70 to the position of Fig. 5. Skeins of yarn -are then threaded onto the rollers by passing them around the tension roller 87, the spray pipe 99, and the pressure roller 71, -arranging them closely against one another along the length of the tension roller 87, wherewith the left-hand tingerlltt serves to prevent these skeins from being moved beyond the ends of the rollers. In the illustrative practice, with rollers having a length of 24 inches, 24 skeins of the commercial 2 ounce size are employed. The pressure roller 71-is then swung back into the housing and engaged in the notch 74, carrying the lower ends of the skeins with it. The upper or tension Y roller 87 is taken from the bracket 8S, 89 and its ends engaged in the bearings 85 which can be pulled downward and outward for the purpose: upon release of the traction links 84, a tension is established in the skeins of yarn as these are stretched upward by the movement of the tension roller 87 upward and away from the pressure rollers, the skeins being controlled against endwise shifting by the fingers 100 supported from the rear wall 26 at about one inch from the end planes of the rollers. The spray pipe 99 is swung into its position of use (Fig. 6).

The door 28 is now moved toward closed position, until its guide members 105 approach the skeins of yarn. By hand, the left-hand four skeinsA are separated so that their outer and downward flights, at the left lin Fig. 6, come between the first two guide members 105. The next four skeins are likewise parted so that they come between 'the second and third guide members 105 and so forth.

The door is partly closed at each separation, so that the skeins are held. The door is closed and latched. It will be noted that this latter operation is facilitated in that the upper edge of door 2S is below the position of ngers 100, so that a substantial part of each skein is accessible above the door edge.

The crank 70 is again rotated so that the cams 65 release the rocking sub-frame, and the pressure roller 45 is permitted to move upwardly under the weight imposed by the driving motor DM, and other parts of this subframe, until it comes in yielding engagement with the skeins at their lower bights, and forces these against the pressure roller 71.

The cycle of operation is then started by closing the switch S1, and the operation occurs as described above, wherewith the rotation of the driving motor DM causes the lower pressure roller 45 to be rotated while in contact with the skeins of yarn, so that the same are caused to travel; during the counterclockwise rotation of the roller 45, the outer or front iiight of the skeins of yarn moves in an upward direction, and upon reversal, with the clockwise rotation of the roller 45, the outer or front ight moves downward in Fig. 6. The lower pressure roller `45 yieldingly presses the yarn against the upper pressure roller 71, and the latter turns. The tension upon the skeins may be regulated by adjusting the nuts 83.

During the described cycle, the driving motor DM operates for lOl/z minutes, with reversal of direction every 30 seconds, and4 during this time the kneading effect of the rubber-covered pressure rollers 45, 71 upon the bers in the skeins causes these fibers to move relative to one another with the abrasive particles therebetween and indentation is produced upon the surfaces of the fibers but with no significant wearing away or gouging out of material. During this action, the water vehicle of the slurry is partly squeezed out and drops into the sump S; wherewith the initial action is in the presence of a greater ramount of moisture than the action toward the end of the period. Thereupon, water is admitted for l0 seconds to restore wetness to the passing yarn, followed by the delivery of a Soaping solution for l0 seconds and then running in the presence of the soap solution for 2 minutes,

Y wherewith the particles become loosened if embedded in without difficulty.

As themotor DM turns in a clockwise direction, for

example, the relative movements of the ibers as they pass between the pressure rolls 45, 71, and the difference in length between the turns of yarn at the inner and outer sides of a skein, tend to cause irregularity or bunching:

Vbut the following reversal compensates for establishing a Vproportioned correcting eiect in the opposite direction:

Y and inpractice it has been found that the yarn can be unwound from the skeins without diculty.

Among the materials Asatisfactory in particle form are powdered calcite, very inely powdered glass and diatomaceous earth. Fine sodium bicarbonate crystals have been employed and, in general, any insoluble or limitedlysoluble material of proper particle size may be used, which has the hardness property of producing the indentation. lnl general, materials having ya hardness of 2 or more on the Moh scale can be used, for example iinely ground rocksalt or harder substances; with dominant preference for materials in particles having sharp corners or edges. Diatomaceous earth has been found highly satisfactory for the dulling or delustering operation, and the observation has been made that the particles are broken up and comminuted during the treatment.

The hardness of such appropriate materials cannot be directly compared to the hardness of nylon, for the reason that the nylon behaves somewhat like a metal in having ductility and capability of being dented, and also has an elastic rubbery quality. For example, when two 40 denier monotilaments of nylon are crossed and pressed between two glass plates, each is ilattened at the intersection until its dimension decreases in the direction of the pressure and its dimension transverse to the pressure increases 5() percent: when the pressure is released, each filament tends to regain its shape, for example losing half of the transverse increase in diameter. Thus a Brinell test for hardness of nylon gives an exaggerated Iresult as compared with la Rockwell test. As further examples of behavior, if an unstretched mass of nylon plastic is pressed by a needle point, a depression U0 is formed with a raised rim around it, which recedes partially when the needle is removed; and if the needle is drawn ialong the surface, under pressure, a furrow is formed with a central groove and raised edges but no material is removed. Likewise, pressing a layer of line rocksalt crystals against an originally smooth and shining surface of a block of unstretched nylon causes indentation, but without removal of material even if the crystals are displaced by rubbing; and the surface after removal of the material exhibits lloss of the original shine. It is to be remarked, further, that nylon laments have been stretched during manufacture, and have attained an oriented crystal structure, as compared to the random arrangement in the unstretched mass, so that the relative hardness of the lament cannot be determined by computation from tests made upon the mass.

Slurries are formed therewith containing about percent of the indenting particles, noting that the proportions may be modied within the limits of having a slurry which is too thick to enter between the fibers during the preliminary loading operation, or one which is so thin that it drains away without depositing the particles ready for operation. The Vehicle for the slurry can be selected from a widerange of liquids which are inert relative to the nylon. Water is a cheap and desirable vehicle for materials insoluble therein, such as calcite, glass, diatomaceous earth: and can be used with Water-soluble materials such `as rocksalt, sodium bicarbonate, or the like, in the form of a saturated solution of the material being used.

The solids content of the slurry, for optimum elect, varies with the material used, the particle size, Aand the vehicle. In general, it should be in the range of 8 to 40 percent. With diatomaceous earth, a slurry of 12.5 percent by Weight in water is satisfactory, and therewith in the illustrative example about 20 percent of the material, based `on yarn weight, is taken up by the yarn: the particles tend to be filtered out by the yarn and remain enmeshed in the skein, while the water is squeezed out. A general range of 8 to 16 percent in `a water slurry is preferred for diatomaceous earth, noting that with less than 8 percent, the dulling action is very slow, while more than 16 percent may cause -an uneven treatment as the water vehicle is squeezed out and the presence of an excess of material in the skein leads to matting and a low amount of relative movement. With silica and non-friable materials, enmeshing was more regular and more than 40 percent could be present in the slurry, with a preference for 20 to 40 percent.

During use of the material, it has been found that the presence of a greater amount of particles, other conditions being constant, will give a greater dulling effect up to the point at which the total mass is relatively stili and corresponds to the yarn bers being embedded within an essentially solid mass of particles so that little relative movement of the iibers can occur.

Using a silica powder, commercially designated as passing a 325 mesh screen, in determining the effects of the sizes thereof, it was found'upon microscopic examination, the original powder exhibited a few particles as large as 40 microns. When such a powder was fractionated by repeated settling, Ian intermediate fraction was more effective than the smaller sized fractions. Fractions were used in dulling experiments, using 2.0 percent by weight of the dry yarn, sprinkling evenly over the wet yarn and distributing by working with the hands. The working time was 15 minutes. The results were as follows:

Table I Particle Relectauce Values-White Yarn Visual Drilling Sample Size Parallel Perpen- Ratio Percent dicular Drop least Not Determined more than 1 0.71 0.8 1. 20 12. 4 more than 2 0.71 0. 84 1.18 12.6 same as 3 0.72 O. 84 1.17 12. 6

N ern-The reflectance values are those determined as set out below, as a preamble The size for samples l-4 is stated in microns. Microscopically examined, sample 4 contained some particles as large as 40 microns and a few as small as 15 microns. Samples 2 and 3 were quite uniform.

- A powdered calcite, designated commercially las having an average large particle size of 25 microns, was more effective than one with an average size of 5 microns in work upon nylon fibers which were denier or over. Upon microscopic examination, the 25 micron material was found to have some particles `as large as 100 microns but most were in the 10-60 micron range. The material was fractionated by settling; for a fraction A with most of the particles in the range of 10 to 3() microns, and a fraction B in the range of 40 to 60 microns with some particles as large as 100 microns. It was employed as with the silica powder. Some grinding of the calcite occurred during the dulling: but many large particles still remained. The two fractions gave essentially the same result, with values of 0.73 for parallel-plane viewing and 0.84 for perpendicular-plane viewing of the undyed specimens: no tests were made with dyed yarn. These values represent a change of ratio from 1.37 in the control to 1.15 of the treated material, with a percentage drop of 16. Thus, the results are comparable with those for silica powder as set out in Table I.

In further experiments, a residue from the glass polishing industry was used (commercially available by the name Gartex). This material consists of silica and glass particles, but contains some particles larger than those with the silica described above: the results are comparable. Being commercially designated as having a particle size of 25 microns, it was fractionated by repeated settlings in water. Fraction A contained particles largely between 5 and 10 microns, a few being as large as microns and some smaller than 5 microns. Fraction B was quite uniform in the range of to 30 microns. Fraction C was largely particles above 60 microns, some being as large as 100, `while a few were as small as 20. Single skeins were run for 15 minutes. Fraction B gave better results than fractions A or C. Fraction A was least effective. There was no conclusive evidence of damage to the yarn even with fraction C, where particles were larger than the diameters of the yarn itself. The pressure was increased, by employing a metal sleeve with a thin rubber tubing over one of the lower rollers. The skein was confined in a space an inch and a half wide. The dulling effect with fraction C was definitely better than at the lower pressure, being somewhat greater than that obtained with fraction B at the lower pressure. A portion of the yarn was knitted into fabric and dyed: there was no stitch distortion or uneven dyeing as would be present in damaged yarn. A test of breaking strength showed about 7 percent loss. The samples were compared visually with the samples of Table IV below, assigning arbitrary dullness values of 1, 2 and 3 to the 10, 20 and 30 minute samples. The results were:

To determine the effect of large particles, an emery powder was employed having particles in the range of 300 microns with a few having a dimension as great as 500 microns. Single skeins were run under the condipresent.

tions described for the machine above, and then underS increased pressure by use of the metal tube with the thin rubber sleeve. Very little dulling effect was observed at the lower pressure, but at the higher pressure a fair dulling occurred but with a great deal of damage.- Upon examination, the fiber was grossly distorted in many places. In some places it was flattened, and at many spots it 'was completely broken orY cut through. Thus, the optimum particle size is somewhat dependent upon the pressure employed. With the stated pressures of around 1000 pounds in the described machine, the optimum particle size is around 20 microns for nonfriable materials when l5 denier nylon is being treated: with a preferred range of l0 to 30 microns with filaments of 10 to 80 microns diameter. The maximum size of particles, to avoid damage, appears around 150 microns for uses up to 70 denier. In operation, there appears no advantage in the use of the larger particles, and there is some difficulty with them as slurries tend to settle very rapidly and are more difficult to apply uniformly and remove completely.

The diatomaceous earth is a composite of shells and fragments of disk and needle shape, with disks up to microns diameter and needles up to 150 micron length and 5-20 micron diameter. In practice therewith, it has been noted that, while the original material settled rapidly in water, the spent slurry after a first indenting operation was much slower in settling, indicating that the individual shells had broken during the operation, thus affording many sharp edges-a conclusion supported by microscopic examination. The commercial material employed is designated las having an average particle size of 7-9 microns, but microscopic examination has indicated the above range.

There are relationships between the unit pressure upon the nylon filaments and between the amount of indenting material present, and the largest permissible size for optimum effects. Assuming that the fibers are cylinders of the same size, and parallel and closely packed, the area of unoccupied space in a cross-section is about l0 percent of the area occupied by the fibers. A spherical particle of 1/6 the diameter of a filament, if placed in a space, 'will touch the surrounding filaments and represents a maximum dimension which in the assumed case causes no lament displacement. On the quantity basis, tightly packed powdered silica has` a density of about 1.5 times that of nylon, so that the l0 percent voids can receive powdered silica up to about 15 percent of the Weight of the nylon. Upon compression, in either case, the filaments are distorted by the sphere or upon peripheral edges and corners of the silica particles. With the sphere, the distorted area is so large that no appreciable change of light reflection is apparent later, fbut with the silica particles, the disturbances are smaller and more numerous, so that a dulled effect results. With extremely small particles, and close indentations by their edges and corners, the shining or mirrorlike surface appearance is replaced by a sheen, noting that very ne abrasives are used to polish optical lenses of glass.

The pressure employed is distributed by the rollersl over the skeins and the individual filaments. It has been found that the pressure can be practically determined for optimum effects upon the basis of the number of skeins In the illustrative machine, with 24 skeins of 2 ounces each, and 4 inch rollers, a total pressure of 500 pounds gives much less effect in 21 minutes` than 1000 pounds in 101/2 minutes.

The above illustrative example, with a total cycle of 15 minutes, was effective with l5 denier monoiilament yarn. By comparison, a 12 denier monotilament yarnl was successfully treated to a like dullness with the same timing for the later operations but with 151/2 minutes employed in the rst step of working with the indenting particles.

It may be stated, generally, that with proper pressureA l1 the dulling effect is rapid at irst and then increases more slowly. With the instance of 15 denier yarn in a 15 minute cycle including action in the presence of the indenting material for 101/2 minutes, to give a commercially acceptable appearance, an increase to 20 minutes in the dulling sub-cycle gives a greater effect, while an increase to 30 minutes for the subcycle gives only a slight further effect, other conditions being kept the same. A 2 ounce skein contains over 10 miles of yarn; the treatment for 10i/z minutes causes far less than one break per skein during the subsequent unwinding-a result in which the frequent reversals appear a great factor.

In an illustrative machine, the rollers 45, 71 and S7 were 24 inches long, and 24 skeins, each of 2 ounces of nylon, occupied 22 inches between the outer guide fingers 105, being grouped 4 skeins between each two successive iingers. The housing was about 8 inches between the door 28 and the back wall Z6 and about 30 inches high from the lower edge to the lower ends of the tension spring pipes 35. The lower pressure rollers 4S, 71 were each 4 inches in external diameter, with a tiexible rubbery covering (the material commercially available under the trade name neoprene, Shore A durometer test 55-60, is satisfactory) about M1. inch thick. The upper tension roller 85 was made of aluminumand 3 inches in diameter. The axis of the lower pressure roller @Spin the absence of yarn, was about 23 inches below the top of the housing. When in operating position, the axis of the pressure and tension rollers and of the spray pipe 99 were in a vertical plane located about 6 inches from the rear wall A26. In this machine, the lever arms 43 supported the lower roller 45 with its axis about 31/2 inches from the fulcrium point 42., and the total weight acting on the rear end of arms 43 was about 200 pounds at a fulcrum distance of about 16 inches, thus representing a pressure of about 100G pounds at the lower pressure roller 45, or about 45 pounds per effective inch of length of this roller.

In the above description of results, stated as occurring with increased pressure, the etlect corresponded to about an eight-fold increase.

Other practices, for examples with 40 denier monoiilament yarn and 7i) denier 34 filament yarn, have produced good dulling effects respectively in 10 minutes and l minutes under the pressure and other conditions stated above for the illustrative machine and practice.

The operation is one of indentation rather than abrasion and removal of material. Weight studies upon the yarn, comparing weights before and after treatment, indicate that very small losses occur from the fibers and filaments. Likewise, strength trials indicate that there is a maximum reduction in tensile strength (6 inch pieces) of 5 percent. The values of strength vary from skein to skein as received from the manufacturer, and the observed diierences are Well within the range. Optically, at low magniiication, the ber surfaces have an appear ance as though blasted with very tine sand: at higher powers and in a dark field, small light arrows appear and are believed to indicate the great irregularity of the surface. Using the preferred siliceous particles, the product had the scroopy feel of silk.

The dulling effect can be numerically measured by a reflectance meter, most suitably with the yarn dyed black and by comparison to an untreated yarn. The samples should be thoroughly clean, and made into skeins of parallel threads, or better into seriplane panels `(on dull black cardboard as a background)V containing for eX- ample with 15 denier nylon at least 800 threads per inch, and corresponding numbers of threads for other deniers. For accuracy, the background and the nurn ber of threads per inch should be the same for the control and the treated specimens. Employing a Welch Den` sichron device with a 45 degree reflectance head, which Was adjusted and calibrated for reflectance values in the gray scale of I.C.I. y tristimulus values for illuminant C, based on measurements with the G E. recording spectrometer, the standards were small test pieces, .with one side glazed and the other side unglazed, varying from white through various shades of gray to black. In use, a light beam strikes the sample at an angle of 45 degrees: light which is reflected as from a plane mirror is not measured, and a perfect plane mirror would give a zero reading. Light which is scattered or detlected is read by the electric photometer at an angle of 90 degrees. The .elfect differs according to the angle of the plane of the beam: when the beam plane is perpendicular to the axes of the threads, the values for dulled yarn are less than for the control: when the beam plane is parallel, the Values for dulled yarn are greater than for the control. The apparatus used was constructed to operate at three scales of sensitivity, decimally related: the difference between untreated yarn and dulled yarn was apparent at a coarse setting, while the differences between yarns treated for 2O and 30 minutes required resort to a more sensitive scale.

In general, it was found that the values (black-dyed specimens) with parallel light increased up to 250% upon dulling treatment under commercially satisfactory conditions; an increase of 25 percent is a minimum for practical purposes; with values of increase of 50 to 150 percent representing desirable and sui'licient etects. Corn respondingly, with perpendicular light, the same specimens showed decreases up to 70 percent: a 20 percent decrease is required for commercially useful eects; decreases of 25 to 50 percent representing desirable and sufficient effects. The change of ratios of readings with parallel and with perpendicular light, for the controland for the treated specimens, is particularly characteristic.

In general, the ratio for the treated yarn should be at least l5 percent and preferably 3() percent less than with the control: ratio changes as high as 90 percent have been observed. The ratio decreases with the duration of treatment, other factors being the same, but is not linear with time, With black-dyed specimens, in seriplane panel tests, at least a 10 percent drop of the ratio, compared with the control, is required for commercially useful effects: with white (undyed) skein specimens, the drop of ratio should be 10 to 70 percent for commercially useful effects; and, with black-dyed skeins, at least 25 percent.

It may be remarked that nylon itself usually contains a pigment as dulling or opaquing agent, often White. When tests vwere made with such light-colored yarns (sometimes called dull or semi-dull according to the amount of pigment present), the general illumination cffect tends to obscure the results. For instance, by mounting seriplane panels on a black cardboard, with 2400 threads of l5 denier per inch, results were obtained with white yarn:

Noting that the light perceived by the apparatus depends upon the color of the specimens, the following results of tests with l5 denier white semi-dull nylon, untreated (control) and treated for 10, 20 and 30 minutes with diatomaceous earth are indicative, the samples being `made up into small skeins containing fibers each,

13 with one lot tested in the original color (white) and another lot tested after dyeing black:

Table IV Dyed Black Percent Parallel Light Perpendlcular Drop Light Ratio of Ratio Rdg Percent Rdg Percent lne. Dec.

Control- 0. 0060 0. 18 30 10 minutes 0.0075 25 0.14 22 19 36.7 0.013 116 0. 13 28 10 66. 7 30 minutes 0.016 166 0.09 50 5.6 81.0

Rdg signies the apparatus reading; Percent Inc. the percentage increase of reading over that for the control; Percent Dec. the corresponding percentage decrease; and Percent Drop of Ratio the percentage drop from the ratio found for the control specimen.

Table IV-A White Samples (undyed): coarse scale Parallel Light Perpendlcular Light Percent Ratio Drxp o Rdg Percent Rdg Percent Ratio Inc. Dec.

These results are comparable to those of Table III; noting that Table III is based upon white seriplane panel specimens and Table IV-A on white skeins.

That the result comes from the dulling is shown by performing tests upon nylon which had been dyed blueblack before the treatment, as shown by the following:

Table V Light Beam Plane Ratio Parallel Perpendcular Control 0. 010 0. 17 17. 0 Dulled 0. 016 0. 10 6. 0

Further illustrative is the following result, produced by a far-reaching treatment of l5 denier yarn of the socalled semi-dull type. Diatomaceous earth was used.

The treated specimen of Table VI was dulled beyond` commercial requirements: wherewith the ratio dropped by 89 percent.

Tests made with so-called bright commercially available yarn, which contained no pigment, and was of 70 denier size, gave the following result on meter readings of small skeins containing 200 threads.

Table VII Parallel Perpendicular Drop, Ratio Percent Rdg. Percent Rdg. Percent Inc. Dec.

Control-Whitc 0. 60 2.7 4.5 Sample-white-.-" 0.85 25 1.7 37 2.0 55 6 Control-black 0.005 0.13 26 Sample-black 0.010 0.10 30 10 61.5

The values indicate that the effect has occurred, and the results with the dyed specimens are parallel to those obtained with so-called semi-dulled yarns.

The results in the tables show that apparatus can b employed in determining the existence of the effects and the regular course of the treatment; and show the possibility of specifying the treatment effect to be attained. In actual practice, visual comparison can readily be made by a person skilled in the work, by merely viewing seriplane panels with proper lighting. Comparisons of specimens thus made agree well with apparatus measurements.

A further manner of determining the elfects of the treatment is by comparison of the rate of acceptance of dye after successive stages of treatment, with use of the reflectance meter and its gray scale of standards. When the dulled yarn and an undulled control were dipped for 5 minutes at 100 degrees F. in a 0.1 percent solution of a black dye (Glycolan Black B), then washed well with soap, and dried, the observed results are definite and reproducible. Illustrative of this is the following, representing results obtained with a parallel beam:

Since the values in Table VI are based upon material of like history, the variance in dyeability by heat treatments and other prior history of the nylon yarn is excluded.

The difference in the elect of dulling in the present manner and that by incorporating pigment into the lilaments for absorbing or scattering light, can be illustrated by the behavior upon dyeing. When the so-called dulling is attained by incorporated pigment, the effect is essentially lost when the filaments are dyed black, because the surface luster has not been changed: but with yarns treated in the present fashion, the effect is more striking after dyeing to very deep shades.

The effects upon the yarn are the production of an increased rate of dyeing, a change in the feel of the yarn to produce a scroopy hand, a decreased coefficient of friction toward smooth surfaces such as porcelain guides, along with the decrease in gloss or luster.

The Variables which dominantly control the rate and effect of the treatment upon a given fibrous material are (1) the indentng material employed, by composition, amount, and particle size; `(2) the pressure employed; and (3) the duration of treatment.

There is a correlation between the pressure and time, but the relationship is not inversely linear. For example, with a force of 500 pounds upon the rollers of the described machine, there was little dulling in 10 minutes and a multiple of this time is required to attain a satisfactory effect; a satisfactory dulling was attained in l0 minutes with a force of 1000 pounds, whereas 750 pounds gave a somewhat lesser effect.

These values correspondv 1 5 to pressures of about 20, 30 and 40 pounds per inch of length of the rollers, or per skein of yarn.

The change' in dyeing properties is indicated by the behavior with acetate dyes, in which the maximum change of rate appears to occur before the maximum dullness is reached. n

It will be understood that the illustrative practice of `the invention is not restrictive: and that the same may be employed in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for dulling nylon and like fibers, comprising a'frame, a first pressure roller journalled in the frame, a bearing system rockably pivoted on said frame, a second pressure roller journalled on said system with its surface in yielding contact with the surface of the first pressure roller, a tension roller and means for pulling the same away from the pressure rollers, said bearing system being weighted whereby to cause the same to move on its pivot for pressing the second roller against the first roller, and means mounted on said bearing system for rotating said second pressure roller.

2. A machinel for dulling nylon and like fibers, comprising a frame, a first pressure roller journalled in the frame, a bearing system rockably pivoted on said frame, a second pressure roller journalled on said system with its surface in yielding contact with the surface of the first pressure roller, a tension roller and means for pulling the same away from the pressure rollers, said bearing system being weighted whereby to cause the same to move on its pivot for pressing the second roller against the first roller, a motor mounted on the bearing system and providing a part of said weighting thereof, and means connecting said motor and said second pressure roller for driving the latter.

3. A machine as in claim 2, and including a device for shifting the bearing system to move the second pressure roller away from the first pressure roller.

4. A machine for dulling nylon and like fibers, comprising a frame, a first pressure roller, a first bearing for one end of the rst roller and mounted on the frame,'a second bearing onV the frame for the other end of the rst roller so constructed and arranged that said other end of the first roller may be swungaway from the frame, a sub-frame movably mounted on the said frame, a second pressure roller journalled in said sub-frame, with its axis parallel to the axis of the first roller when Ythe said other end thereof is engaged with the frame and cooperative with said first pressure roller in said engagement position thereof for acting upon yarn between the pressing rollers, a tension roller and means for pulling the same for tensioning yarns passing around the first and the tension roller, means for yieldingly moving said sub-frame so that said second roller is urged toward said irst roller and means mounted on said moving means for rotating said second pressure roller.

5. A machine as in claim 4, in which the sub-frame is pivoted on the frame and the rotating means includes a motor mounted on the sub-frame and serving to weight the same for effecting said yielding movement thereof.

6. A machine as in claim 4, in which the sub-frame is pivoted on the frame and the rotating means includes a motor mounted on the sub-frame and serving to Weight the same for effecting said yielding movement thereof, and said motor is connected to drive said second roller.

7. YAV machine as in claim 4, which includes a'member pivotally supported by the frame, andy guide members on said pivoted member and projecting when said member is in operative position into the space between the tension and first rollers and between yarn skeins y passing around said rollers.

8. A machine for dulling nylon and like bers, cornprising a frame, a firstV pressure roller, a first bearing for one end of the first roller and mounted on the frame,

, 16 t A., a second bearing on the frame .for the other endY of the first roller so constructed and arranged that said other end of the first roller may be swung away from the frame, a sub-frame movably mounted on the said frame, a second pressure roller journalled in said sub-frame, with its axis parallel to the axis of the first roller when the said other end thereof is engaged with the frame, a tension roller and means for pulling the same for tensioning yarns passing around the first and the tension roller, means for yieldingly moving said Ysecond roller toward said first roller, means for rotating said one of said pressure rollers, said frame including a liquid-receiving housing, a swing- Ving door cooperative with the housing, the tension roller being journalled above the upper edge of said door,rand guide members mounted on said door and which in the closed position of the door project into the space between the tension and first rollers and between the yarn skeins passing around said rollers for holding the skeins separate.

9. A machine as in claim 4, in which the frame provides a liquid-receiving housing, a spray pipe having a swivel mounting in one housing wall and extending across the housing parallel to said tension roller and terminating short of the opposite housing Wall, said pipe being located between the tension roller and the rst roller for discharging onto the inner fibers of a skein looped around said tension and first rollers and being adapted by its swivel mounting to swing so that its terminal is outside of the housing.

'10. A machine for dulling nylon and like fibers in skeins, comprising a frame, a rst pressure roller journalled in the frame, a second pressure roller journalled for movement toward and from the rst roller, means for pressing the second roller toward the first roller whereby ythey cooperate in pressing and'kneading skein fibers therebetween, a tension roller resiliently mounted parallel to the pressure rollers, a reversible motor connected for rotating one of the pressure rollers, a spray device for delivering liquid onto yarn passing over the first and the tension rollers and means for controlling the supply of liquid to the spray device, and timing means in operative connection with the motor and the spray device for effecting operation of thermotor for a rst period of time without delivery of liquid to the spray device and for a subsequent period of time with concurrent delivery of liquid thereto, said timing means also including a device for reversing said motor a plurality of times during the first period of time.

ll. A machinefor dulling nylon and like fibers in skeins, comprising a frame, a rst pressure roller journalled in the frame, a second pressure roller journalled for movement toward and from the first roller, said pressure rollers having yielding surfaces for exerting a kneading action upon fibers therebetween, a tension roller and resilient means for pulling the same to establish tension in skeins of yarn passing over the tension and the first rollers, a spray device for projecting liquid onto the skeins so passing, means for rotating one of said pressure rollers and periodically reversing the direction of rotation, a source of water, a timing device including means for procuring the operation of the motor for a first period of successive reversals whereby the fibers and dulling particles therewith can be kneaded together while the skeins are caused to advance around the first roller and the tension roller, and means eifective at the end of said period for procuring delivery of water from said soulce through the spray device for washing the Vskeins during a second period of operation of the motor.

l2. A machine for treating nylon and like fibers by a kneading operation, comprising a frame, pressure rollers journalled on the frame for pressing upon the fibers, at least one of said rollers having a yielding surface whereby to effect a kneading and relative motion of the fibers in the presence of indenting particles therein, one of said pressure rollers having a pivotal mounting at one end whereby it may be swung away from the other comprising a frame, pressure rollers journalled on the frame for pressing upon the bers andv having yielding surfaces whereby to effect a kneading .and relative motion of the bers and indenting particles therein between saidl rollers, one of said pressure rollers'having a pivotal mounting at one end whereby it may be swung away from the other roller for the placing and removal of askein 'of the bers, means for urging one of said lpressure rollers toward the other, means for driving said one pressure roller and including a periodically effective reversing device.

14. A machine for treating nylon and like bers in skeins, comprising a frame, a sub-frame pivoted on the frame, a rst pressure roller journalled on vthe frame, a second pressure roller journalled on the sub-frame and cooperative with said rst pressure roller `for receiving therebetween the bers of a skein, a tension roller supported from the frame and cooperative with said rst pressure roller for receiving the loop of the skein with the second pressure roller outside said loop, said rst pressure roller having a pivotal mounting at one end whereby it may be swung away from the said second pressure roller, and means on the sub-frame for driving said second pressure roller and including a periodically eective reversing device.

15. A machine for treating nylon and like bers in skeins, comprising a frame including a housing, cooperative-pressure rollers journalled on the frame for receiving a skein around one said pressure roller, a second pressure roller being outside the loop of the skein, a tension roller supported from the frame and also engageable in the loop of the skein, said rollers being positioned within the housing when in operating position; said one pressure roller journals and said tension roller support including devices whereby the said one pressure roller and said tension roller may be swung from said operating position within the housing to a loading and unloading position withk one end free and outside of the housing; means for spraying a liquid upon the skein within the housing; and means for driving said second roller. v

16. A machine as in claim l5, in which the spraying means includes a liquid delivery pipe supported from the frame and positioned during operation, within the housing whereby it is located within the loop of the skein, the pipe support including a swivel supply connection at one end of the pipe whereby the pipe may be swung from the operating position to a. loading and unloading position in which the other end ofthe pipe is outside of the housing. 1 *Y 17. A machine as in claim 16, in'which the said devices for the said one pressure roller and for the delivery pipe include pivot portions at one end of each thereof whereby the other end may be swung from the housing.

18.1 A machine for treating nylon and like bers in skeins, comprising a frame, pressure rollers journalled on the frame and having yielding surfaces for pressing uponV and kneading the bers of a plurality of skeins passing around one of said pressure rollers and having indenting particles therein, tension' meansfor holding 'the skein loops in operating position with theskein loops `:extending over said one pressure roller and said tension ollerfas'econd said pressure rollerbeing'outside the skein loops, a swinging member pivoted on said member, separating elements carried by the swinging frame and engaged in operating position between adjacent skeins, and means for rotating the second roller and causing the skeins to travel between the said pressure rollers.

v\19. A machine yas in claim 18, in which thefframe cludes a housing for receiving the pressure rollers and the skeins in operating position, and a door for saidhousing,

said door providing said swinging frame. v 20. A machine for treating nylon and Ylike bersin skeins, comprising a frame, pressure rollershaving yielding surfaces for pressing upon and Vkneading the Yfibers in a skein, one said pressure roller being located within the loop of the skein and a second pressure roller being located outside of and Ybeneath said loop and saidy one pressure roller, mounting means for journalled support of said one pressure roller and including means whereby the roller may be swung outwardat one end thereof for n placing and removing the skein and whereby said fendof said one pressure roller is supported on the framefwhen in operating position, means on the frame forvrotatably supporting the said second roller, tension means located v above said one pressure roller for holding the skein loops extended in operating position, skein limiting devices carried by the frame for preventing the skein bers shifting beyond the ends of the pressure rollers, and means for rotating said second pressure roller and causing the skein to travel between and with the surfaces of the pressure rollers along a path over said one pressure roller and the tension means.

21. A machine for treating nylon and like bers in skeins, comprising pressure rollers having yielding surfaces for producing a kneading eiect upon Ythe bers passing therebetween, tension means for 4holding the skein loop extended in operating position, the skein loop extending around said tension means and one `said pressure roller, means for yieldingly pressing a second said pressure roller toward said one pressure roller, a liquid delivery pipe for projecting liquid upon the skein bers, means for causing the skein loop to travel between the pressure rollers, and a cycle-determining means for procuring operation of said causing means fora time during which the bers and dulling particles therewith are kneaded together while the skeins are secured to advance around the rst pressure roller and the tension roller with reversals of motion during said time and also effective for procuring delivery of liquid through said pipe for a selected later part of said vtime whereby to remove said particles from the skein. v v l 22. A machine for treating nylon and like bers-in skeins, comprising a frame, pressure rollers journalled on the frame, one said pressure roller being within the skein loop in operating position and a ysecond said pressure roller being outside the skein loop, a tension roller supported from the frame for holding the skein loop extended in operating position, reversible means for driving the said second pressure roller, a liquid delivery pipe f or projecting liquid upon the skein bers, Vand a cycle-determining means which lupon initiation procuresy actuation of said driving means with periodic reversals thereof and stops the same after a predetermined time, two independent means for supplying liquid to the delivery pipe,

and devices included in said cycle-.determining means v second vvroller being journalled on said 'sub-frame', y11eversible means'for driving said second roller," anda' cycledetermining means including a master switch controlling a supervisory circuit for'procuring energization of the driving means upon initiation of a cycle and stoppage of the same at the end of the cycle, and a reversing switch for procuring reversal of the driving means at intervals tb'e'rsjmeans `for supplying liquid into said delivery pipe,

fand anelectricliqui'd controlling switch in said cycle- `detferrnining means and supplied with current from said supervisory circuit, said liquid vcontrolling switch being connected to 'said liquid supplying means Vand'eiectivey f forjprocuring liquid delivery during a selected part of he Cycle .i

"25. 'A 'machine for treating nylon and'like fibers for fdulling-the 'same Vby indenting particles comprising a A,frzirnega'irst, pressure roller journalled in the frame and :havinfgl a p`ivotal mounting at one end whereby it may be :"Swnng `for 'theplacingand removal of a skein of the ibersalsecond'pressure roller Vand means for mounting f'thesame for rotation, at least one of the` pressure rollers fihving'va yielding surface, means rotating one said pressure roller successively in alternative directions, Va "tension'roller for receiving the loop of a skein which extends around the first pressure roller, means acting upon`the tension roller `for stretching the skein loop, "and means for urging said second pressure roller toward said rstpressure ,roller whereby the Vsaid pressure rollvers procure akneading and relative displacement of the vfibers and in'denting particles therebetween, and timing "means for controlling said rotating means wherebyy the f'kneaclingV underl pressure and alternative directional move- "m'ent of lsaid pressure rollers is effected until linely di- ;vided indenting material present vin a skein is caused tdinde'nf'the fibers 'thereof over their areas.

' T726. ZA `machine "for'dulling nylon andlike `fibers 'in skeins, comprising a frame, a-'rst pressure roller jour-l hnalle'd in the frame, a sub-'frame pivoted on the main Mrame, a secondpressure roller journalled on the subtframe so 'that the rollers are parallel whenl in operating jgposition, saidpressure rollers having' yielding surfaces,

` means for rocking saidv sub-frame for moving the second l' roller toward contact of its surface with'the surface ,of 'the iirst roller, a tension roller resiliently mountedin fthe frame parallel to the pressure rollers for exerting "tension upon a skein looped around the said iirst roller andthe said tension roller, the second. `roller being out- ,"'side fthe skeinloop, said first pressure lroll'erfhaving a f pivotal mounting atione end whereby Vthe other encll may be swung away from its said'parallel position for the plac fing and removal of afskein,v a reversible motorc'onnected for` rotatingsaid second roller, andperiodically eifective reversing means forreversing said motor. 'l

27. A machine for treating nylon and like bers in ',skins, comprising a frame, Ipressure rollers journalled z'onsaid frame .and having yielding surfaces forproducing "a'knea'ding effect upon the berspassing therebetween,

mining means including a device for procuring reversal of? `v 'the rotational'direction and travel direction at predeter- "minedintervals "281A machine for treating nylon and like fibers `for y@one said pressure roller having a pivotal mounting at"f`l555 `dulling 'the saineV by indenting particles comprisinga drame, fa" :rstp'ressure roller Ejournalled in I:the frame, 'a second pressure roller rland* means 'formounting the 'samefor'rotatiomat least one of the pressure -rollers fhavinga'yielding surface, means rotating' one-'said'pr'es- 4sure rollersuccessively in alternative'directions, a tension roller for receiving the loop of a skein which-'exv"tends aroundthefirstpressure roller, means acting upon `j'"the'-tensionjroller for stretching the skein loop, and-means `-for'urging 'saidtsecond pressure roller toward said tirst '10* "'a'kneading and `relative displacement of the bers-and Ipressure'roller'wherebythe said pressure'rollers procure indenting Yparticzles Jtherebetween, a liquid discharge 'nieansrasource of rinsing liquid,'timing means for controllingsaid'rotatingimeans whereby the kneading under l5 pressure land lalternative `directional-'movement of said "pressure vrollers is eected until tinely 'divided indenting nmaterial present'inia skein is caused-toindent-the `ibers thereof over their areas, and means controlled by the "timingmeansffor ldelivering the rinsing liquid upon the skein loopafter the indentation of the surfaces oft-the fbers and "during continued alternative rotation of said one *pressure roller.

295A machinev fortreatingsnylon and likebers ffor dullingy the* same --by indenting particles comprising i a frame, Ia -rst pressure roller journalled in the framega secondA pressure Vroller and means -for mounting the same 'for rotation,'at least one of the pressure rollers having a-yieldingsurface, means-rotating said one pressure roller --successivelylin alternativedirections, a tension roller for 'lirst pressure roller, means acting upon the tension roller reeeivingthelloop lor" a-skein which extends around-the lfor stretching the skein loop, means for urging said *second pressureroller'toward said rst'pressure roller whereby the `said pressure rollers procure a kneading and relative displacement 'of the fibers and indentingfparticles therebetween, 'means for' discharging liquid upon the skein loop while present over the rst pressure roller and the tension roller, ya supplyfof wetting liquid, a supply V-*of 'soap solution, and a supply Vof Vrinsing liquid, timing meansfor'controlling' said rotating means whereby the 'kne'ading'under pressure-andk alternative directional movement of'-said'pressure'rollers-is effected until finely di- -vide'd 4vindenting material present in a skein is caused "to indentVA the fibers thereof over their areas, and means selectively eandsuccessively controlled-by said timing :means tioreiecting the-successive delivery of wetting liquid,=soap solution, and rinsing liquid through said v'discharging means and onto the bers and while continuing f' the alternative rotation.

-Reerences Cited l'in the tile of .this patent 'UNITED STATESPATENTS y 1,206,811 Y Byrd etal Dec. 5, 1916 v,1,6?:t,3,843 Y Grerber,., V Aug. 16, 1927 g 1,797,754 Bronander Mar. 24, v19,31 2,207,407 Kane July-9, 1940 12,253,559 Curtin Aug. 26 1941 2,561,133 Petkewicz July 17,1951 2,573,047 Neu Oct. 30, 1951 2,592,161 ,Lorig Apr. 8, 1952 f 2,627,103 vJennings Feb. 3, 1953 v Y FOREIGN PATENTS V542 V"Great'Brit'ain -..of 1896 2,176 -GreatBritain L of 19,11 4,939A Great Britain ofv 1913 5,254 Great Britain of 1899 '6;289 'Great' Britain of 1884 470,634 Great Britain Aug. 18,1937 

